Christopher Barnard of Tarpon Springs says he hopes op-ed page columnist James Hibbs, a student at the University of Florida, is not representative of today's youth. Hibbs opposed the Proposition 2 constitutional amendment. ...more

November 15, 2008

During the last few years, I have contacted the Highlands County Property Appraiser's office concerning the increased appraised value on properties in the county. I asked the question repeatedly, "since you are raising them drastically during this housing bubble, will you lower them as drastically when the bottom falls out of the housing market?" Their answer, Oh yes, we will definitely lower them if that happens. Well fellow residents, have you seen any drop in your appraised value? According to the newspaper, TV and radio, prices of homes in Florida have dropped 20-40 percent in the last year. When exactly do you think they are going to do what they told us they were going to do? If any of you are in agreement with me and others I have spoke to, please let's join together and force our county officials to live up to what they are suppose to do. ...more

November 14, 2008

The shelves at the Metropolitan Ministries Holiday Tent aren't as full as Chief Operating Officer Tim Marks would like them to be. With just a few weeks left until Thanksgiving, donations are not keeping up with demand. ...more

November 8, 2008

I may have come up with the perfect solution to the question "Should the Spring Hill Fire Rescue district become independent or merge with the county?" This is so simple; I am amazed that no one has ever thought of this before. ...more

October 16, 2008

Cells taken from men's testicles seem as versatile as the stem cells derived from embryos, researchers reported Wednesday in what may be yet another new approach in a burgeoning scientific field. ...more

October 9, 2008

My wife and I are residents of Highlands County five months every year. I spent 40 years in law enforcement and public service and worked at every level from patrolman to chief of police, and finally a town manager. I currently teach Spanish for law enforcement in North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. ...more

October 9, 2008

Name of Business: Verizon Wireless Address of Business: ...more

October 5, 2008

It is truly disgusting how the political campaigns for the one of the most prestigious offices on this planet have digressed into outrageous smear campaigns. Those of us who were formally trained in professional sales were always taught to sell the features and benefits of our own products without ever mentioning the competition. Do theses candidates have so little to propose that their best election pitch is make us believe they are the lesser of two evils, or do these people have so little faith in the intelligence of the average American that they feel this is the only way to communicate? ...more

September 24, 2008

The wave of immigrants entering the United States slowed dramatically last year as the economy faltered and the government stepped up enforcement of immigration laws. ...more

September 23, 2008

It's not a big surprise that enrollment is down in Highlands County schools this year. The lower number is a product of our ailing economy, and the need for families to follow jobs wherever they can find them. Unfortunately, sometimes those jobs are elsewhere. ...more

September 5, 2008